Someone's in the kitchen with Finn
by Glee Let Me Down
Summary: Fritters. Finn develops an admiration for Brittany that leaves both of them confused.
1. Chapter 1

Finn walked into his kitchen and was shocked to find Brittany sitting on the counter, swinging her legs over the side.

"Hey!' She said to him cheerfully.

Finn looked around for an explanation of her presence. "Um…Hey Britt… Not to be rude or anything but, like, what are you doing in my house?"

"I'm helping Kurt with his campaign." She said simply.

"Oh," A small, accepting smile came over Finn's face. Then suddenly, he was confused again. "Well, then, where is Kurt?"

"In his room, he's changing…"

"In that case, he'll probably be a while. Do you want something to drink?"

"No thanks." She sighed. "I watched Titanic on TV last weekend, and liquids have been sort of freaking me out ever since."

Finn nodded. It sounded relevant.

If he was being honest, Finn would have to admit that he'd been thinking about Brittany a lot during the past week. He wasn't even sure of the reason. All he knew was that it was just too perfect that they were alone. He was finally able to say what he'd wanted to say to her since that day in the choir room, but had been too shy too.

"You know, it's really cool what you did," He said, his back still to her.

"What did I do?" She asked sweetly.

Finn couldn't help but smile as he turned around. "You chose the glee club. You could've sabotaged us like Santana did, but you didn't."

Brittany shrugged humbly. "I love you guys."

"I just know it must've been hard for you," Finn said softly. He stepped closer to her and impulsively placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know how much you care about Santana, and I know how hard it must've been for you to see her leave."

"Yeah well Santana's not the only one I care about."

Finn loved the way she spoke; like she was always so sure about everything; like all she knew how to do was say something exactly how she saw it, without trying to deflect.

"I'm glad…"

His hand was still on her shoulder, and he gently ran it down her bare bicep, staring appreciatively into her eyes.

"What's going on here?"

Their attention snapped over to the doorway, where Kurt was standing with a scowl on his face.

"Nothing…um…talking!" Finn snapped.

Kurt just shook his head, his eyes widening in annoyance. "Brittany, when you're done subjecting yourself to my brother's inappropriate advances, I have some ideas on how to fix this platform."

Brittany hopped down from the counter, and for a split second, she and Finn were standing chest-to-chest. Finn backed away quickly, suddenly uncomfortable with what Kurt was implying. He wasn't making advances on Brittany! He had a girlfriend. He wouldn't do that! He told himself to take a breath. It was a joke. Kurt was joking.

As Brittany followed Kurt into the living room, Finn watched them walk away. She was really great though. He was allowed to think that, wasn't he?

* * *

><p>He must've had a dream about her, because he woke up the next morning and she was the first thing on his mind. He was thinking about the dance number she and Mike did at sectionals the previous year. God, she was a great dancer.<p>

_No,_ he thought, as picked up clothes off his floor and got dressed …_She's not important. Sure, she's got a great body, and fantastic hair and the cutest smile I've ever seen…but I'm in love with Rachel. I told myself I'd keep my mind made up this year. _

_Rachel…_ He thought. His heart sank as he remembered that she'd be gone in a year. For a split second, he felt hopeless, like there wasn't really any reason to waste his time with her if she was just going to leave him. It wasn't the first time he'd felt like this since they got back from New York last spring. He told himself, as always, to power through it; to make the most of the time they had left. He pulled out his phone and texted Rachel.

_Dinner tonight? _He typed. He waited nervously for her reply.

_Can't. I have to practice my audition songs. My future depends on it._

Frustrated, Finn threw his phone down on his bed. What was the use of trying if Rachel wasn't even going to cooperate?

When he went downstairs for breakfast, it appeared that his mom was trying to rub in his current state of mind. "Any plans for tonight?" She asked the boys.

"Rachel and I are going to start pulling options for our NYADA auditions!" Kurt said excitedly.

Finn tried to be inconspicuous about glaring at him. He didn't understand how his gay brother currently had a closer relationship with his girlfriend than he did.

"I'm not doing anything…" He said.

"But honey, it's Friday night!" His mom said, concerned.

"And my girlfriend would rather spend time with Kurt!"

"It's our future, Finn. It's important!" Kurt said tersely.

Finn swore, if he heard the word "Future" one more time, he'd punch someone.

"Why don't you call…" Carole Hummel trailed off, unable to think of a single person who Finn could hang out with. "…I mean, you must have someone you could spend time with."

"I'll play some X-box." Finn tried to put on a happy face. He hated when his mother worried about his social well being. "I've been craving some me time anyway."

His mom smiled at him sympathetically, and he could tell she wasn't buying his act of acceptance.

* * *

><p>Finn got to glee club early that day. He was about to walk right into the choir room, but then he heard a pair of voices speaking lowly, and realized a private conversation was taking place inside.<p>

"You'll be fine," A girl was saying sweetly. "You'll still have me."

Finn realized it was Tina speaking.

"But everyone I've been going to school with since kindergarten will be gone! And you only have a year before you leave too!" Finn recognized Brittany's voice immediately, and instantly felt sorry for her. "I'm going to get left behind while everyone goes into the future!"

That really tugged at Finn's heartstrings. It made him so sad, for one, because he empathized with her so thoroughly. And at the same time, he was comforted by the fact that Brittany understood what he was going through when no one else did.

He entered the room, trying to be coy about the fact that he'd been eavesdropping. "Hey guys, what are you talking about?" He asked, desperately wanting to be included.

"Oh, nothing…" Tina told him. He tried not to let his disappointment show. It hurt him that they didn't think he'd understand.

"Oh…" He dropped his backpack on the floor and fell into a seat. Maybe he just needed to be friendlier? Maybe they didn't view him as a real friend who they could talk with. He knew he hadn't been as open as some of the glee club members who shared their feelings liberally. He'd never wanted to talk about feelings before. Maybe he just had to make an effort. "So…what are you guys up to tonight?"

"Mike and I are going out for dim sum with his mom." Tina said boredly.

"I was just going to buy Us Weekly and read it to Lord Tubbington," Brittany said.

Finn hesitated. He had the urge to ask her to hang out. But would it be weird if he asked a girl to hang out alone with him while he was still dating Rachel? I mean, technically she and Kurt hung out alone all the time, so she couldn't really get _mad_ at him. "I'm not doing anything either. We should, like, go somewhere…"

Tina and Brittany exchanged unsure looks. Finn instantly regretted it.

"What about Rachel?" Tina asked. Finn was sort of annoyed. It wasn't Tina he was talking to.

"Finn, are these the inappropriate advances that Kurt warned me about."

"It's just…I thought we were friends," Finn said embarrassedly. "And Rachel's busy, and I really just…want to hang out with a friend tonight." _A friend who understands me…_

There was a silence that seemed to last years. Then Brittany smiled. "Okay. We should play Ants in the Pants."

"…excuse me?"

"It's this game I have. It's these pants and you have to get the ants out. It's really fun. You should come over to my house after rehearsal."

Finn just nodded. He knew that it was good to have an activity to fall back on if his attempts at meaningful conversation failed, so he agreed.

* * *

><p>Finn marched up to Kurt's locker after he'd said goodbye to Rachel that evening. He tried to ignore the fact that his brother was currently participating in a goodbye with his own significant other. Blaine was backed up against the locker, chuckling like a child as Kurt grabbed him at the ribs and planted kisses on the side of his face. Finn cleared his throat so the boys would be notified by his approach.<p>

"Finn…!" Kurt jumped away from Blaine. "What are you doing…? Just wait in the car…I'll be there in a minute."

"I wanted to tell you to leave without me. I'm going straight to Brittany's."

Kurt froze, his head cocked and his face contorted in horror. "Blaine, would you excuse us for a moment?"

Blaine nodded awkwardly, still flustered from the prior heated moment with Kurt, and shuffled away.

"What in the name of Sondheim are you doing, Finn?" Kurt asked, his voice lowering.

Finn played innocent. Because he was innocent, wasn't he? "What do you mean?"

"Look…I know that you get yourself off to the constant emotional turmoil and indecisiveness that goes with jumping around from woman to woman, but do you need to think about how you're sabotaging yourself. Sure, Brittany's a good kisser. I won't dispute that. But she's _not_ worth it Finn. If you cheat on Rachel, she's never going to forgive you. Especially not after the crap you gave her for what happened with Puck last year. And I promise you, you're going to want her back."

"We're just friends, Kurt." Finn crossed his arms defensively. "Just like you and Rachel are just friends."

"Yeah, well, what I walked in on yesterday was more than friendly..." Kurt spat. "Did you tell Rachel about your plans for tonight?"

"She didn't ask…" Finn said. And that was the true reason why he just happened to not tell her.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Well, Finn. All I'm going to say is that if Blaine had secret plans with a guy who was willing to jump the bones of anything that moved, I'd be more than upset."

"Well Rachel's not you. And I'm not Blaine."

Kurt gave sort of an evil smirk, that unsettled Finn. "There are more similarities than you think, dear brother."

He patted Finn on the shoulder as he walked away. "I'll tell mom you made plans so she doesn't wait up," He said. "As for your girlfriend…I won't involve myself in this one."

Kurt's words to him hung with him as he and Brittany entered her kitchen. All he wanted to do was shake the guilt he felt. It's not like he was actually doing anything wrong.

* * *

><p>"I was going to make a frozen pizza. Do you like frozen pizza?" Brittany asked him, a bounce in her step as she made her way over to the freezer. Finn had to smile. There was a sort of youthfulness about her that was just adorable.<p>

"Yeah, who doesn't?" He quickly realized that he needed to stop finding anything that she did adorable. It just made the guilt even stronger.

Brittany pulled the pizza out and set it on the counter as she pre-set the oven. "This is one of the only things I know how to make," She admitted sheepishly. "My mom had to teach me."

Once again, Finn could relate to her. "I can't cook either. I can make, you know, grilled cheese and spaghetti but that's pretty much it. Kurt's great though. He can make anything."

Brittany started pulling the plastic wrapping off the Pizza. "I know how that must feel. Lord Tubbington can totally draw better than I can."

Finn chuckled. "Yeah…it's rough."

They fell into a brief silence, and Finn realized how quiet Brittany's house was. "Hey, is anyone else home?"

"No, my parents volunteer on Friday nights. Why?"

"No reason," Finn's heart rate increased, suddenly worried that Kurt had been right. No. He was there to talk to her. He was there because he could relate to her. Suddenly, he blurted out. "So…what are your plans for next year?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Honestly…?" She asked, going over to a cabinet and pulling out a metal pizza tray. "…I'm not sure if I'm going to graduate this year."

Finn knew he'd probably stay in Lima, but he couldn't imagine having to stay at McKinley. His heart went out to her. "Oh…"

"It's okay though," She had this sad, optimistic smile on her face that broke his heart. "I'm doing my best. I know that. I can't regret anything."

"Yeah…that's a good way to look at it."

Brittany put the pizza on the tray. "I'll probably end up dancing somewhere…" She said. "I like dancing."

"And you're great at it," He reassured her.

"Yeah…?" Her face fell.

"What, is that not a compliment?"

Brittany sighed. "It's just, that's not all I am. I would die to be a journalist, Finn. But I'm not smart enough. I can't get into any of the schools, and I can't really write that well anyway…"

"Then why journalism…?" It wasn't meant to be a critical question. It was really just curiosity.

Brittany shrugged. "I like people," She smiled distantly. "I like knowing about people and talking…I want to help people know things about each other and, like, the world."

Finn was beaming now. He felt a weird sense of satisfaction. Somehow, deep down, he knew there'd been more to this girl than the ditzy slut everyone talked about. Hearing of her ambitions for the first time was moving. He couldn't quite explain it. "You should go for it then. It's never too late to go for what you want."

Brittany still looked sad. "For once I just want to be able to be smart, you know? But I'm not…"

"Well, that's okay, neither am I…"

"Yes you are, Finn. You understand things! I'm just the girl with the ADD and the dyslexia who everyone makes fun of."

"What…?" Finn had no idea that there was actually terminology for what Brittany had.

"I'm sorry to dump all this on you…" She said sweetly.

It was at that moment that Finn realized that she saw it too. They could relate to each other. They could talk to each other. As much as he wanted to ignore the impulse to have any physical contact with her, he couldn't help but take her in a hug. "Don't apologize. Just…don't."

Brittany secured her arms around Finn's back, and he found himself breathing in the scent of her hair. It smelled like sweet baby shampoo. "You're going to be a journalist Brittany…" He said sort of breathlessly.

"Thanks Finn," She said, still hugging him.

Suddenly, before he knew what he was doing, he reached up and stroked the back of her head. He took the end of a lock of hair in his fingers and started to fondle it absentmindedly. She didn't do anything to fight him off.

And his mind went blank. Suddenly he didn't remember where he was or what he was doing, or whether or not he had any reason to feel bad about it. All he knew was he had a girl in his arms.

They pulled away slightly, and she beamed up at him, and then he just went for it. Cradling her head in his hands, Finn kissed her hard. He swore she kissed back briefly before she pushed him away.

"You're nice, Finn," She told him. "Thank you…for being so nice…"

"You're welcome…?" Suddenly reality came back to him, and he realized what deep shit he was now in.

"I'll just make the pizza, okay?" She told him. "I'm hungry."

"Yeah…" He said, "Me too…"

As she pulled the oven open, all Finn wanted to do was run away. He didn't want to deal with the questions that were racing through his head. What had just happened? Was Brittany going to tell anybody? What did the kiss even mean? Why was she pretending like it was nothing?

But he stayed. He stayed and hung out with her for the rest of the evening, pretending like the kiss was something they'd both imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt came home the night of the kiss to find Finn on the couch dunking Oreos in a cup of milk. Finn wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Oh god, Finn, what did you do?" He asked darkly.

Finn shoved an entire Oreo in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, his attention fixated on the episode of _Adventure Time_ that was playing on the TV.

"You know, you think you'll come across as less suspicious if you keep your mouth shut, but that's definitely not the case."

Finn swallowed, and glanced at Kurt. He tried looking innocent. He really did. Then he gave up. "It was an accident."

"God damn it, Finn. Do you know what this is going to do to me?" Kurt was talking a mile a minute. "I don't keep secrets well. It stresses me out and gives me acne, and you said nothing was going to happen!"

"I know! I didn't plan this! She was just…there…and…"

"Did you sleep with her!"

"No! I wouldn't do that!"

"Second base…?"

"It was a kiss! One meaningless kiss, you know, like you'd give your grandmother."

"I don't know about you, but I have never kissed my grandmother on the mouth. Brittany, however…"

"Okay, will you stop talking about that? It's weird."

"You know, it's in poor taste to make out with your sibling's ex."

"We didn't even make out!" Finn cried defensively. "It was one kiss. Then we ate Pizza and played board games."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Playing the games…?" Finn smiled, his eyes crinkling as he remembered. "Yeah they were fun. She had this one with an Ice Skating penguin…"

"I meant the kiss, Finn," Kurt yelled.

"Look, I don't know, it happened kind of fast. She was sad and…I was comforting her. We both knew it was an accident."

"But you didn't leave right after the kiss. You stayed there." Finn was silent. Kurt sighed. "Damn it, Finn. Do you realize that as Rachel's best friend, I am morally obligated to tell her about this?"

"You can't do that; she'll break up with me! Isn't there like, a bro-code or something that takes precedence."

Kurt huffed, "I don't know…I don't have a lot of experience being a bro."

"Look, I'll just tell Rachel what happened. We have that no secrets pact. She'll understand that it was an accident and everything will be okay." Finn leaned forward and put his cup of milk on the coffee table. "I'll go talk to her right now. I won't even wait. It'll be good."

"Right now…?" Kurt seemed a little caught off guard.

"It's the right thing to do." Finn nodded confidently. He started marching out of the room. Kurt heard him stomp down the hallway and out the front door. Two seconds later, the front door opened again.

"I don't have my keys!" Finn shouted.

Kurt buried his face in his palms, shaking his head miserably.

* * *

><p>Finn sat in his truck in Rachel's driveway. He had texted her to come outside, and it felt like she was taking years. Finally, she slipped into his passenger's seat. She didn't even say hello. She waited for him to speak, meaning she knew something was up. He gripped the steering wheel nervously.<p>

"I went over to Brittany's tonight. You were busy, and we both just wanted something to do."

"You should've told me Finn." She said immediately. "I would've understood."

She was already mad. She definitely knew something. "Look. I'm going to say a few things before I tell you what happened, because I know you like to assume things, so…no, I don't think she's prettier than you. No, there were no fireworks…"

"What happened," She interrupted him. Her voice was small and quaky.

"We kissed. It was only once and it was not intentional. See, we were talking about our futures and we were both pretty bummed and I wanted to comfort her."

Rachel choked incredulously and Finn realized she was really crying now. "So, you kissed her…?"

"Rachel, I didn't know what I was doing…"

"Do you think she's prettier than me!" Rachel said hysterically.

Finn shook his head at the steering wheel, frustrated. "Rachel, I don't think this should affect anything. It had nothing to do with you. I mean, it's not like I did it just to make you mad..."

"Oh, I see what you're doing; you're throwing Puck in my face again!" She snapped. "You are such a hypocrite, Finn. You made out with me a week after we met when you were still dating Quinn! You took me bowling and let me kiss you, even though you thought you had a baby in the way… just so I wouldn't leave glee club. You stole Quinn from Sam. You took her back even after she had _sex _with someone else and had you thinking that _you_ were the father of her baby for four months! Why is it okay when everyone else slips up? Why am I the only one who has to deal with the consequences?"

"Rachel…I forgave you. That should count for something."

"I had one kiss with Puck and it was as if the world had ended."

"That's what it felt like. I loved you, Rachel."

"And obviously something has changed."

"It hasn't!" Finn shouted. "I feel horrible!"

She was silent for a few minutes, and Finn couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Finally, she spoke again. "You said you were both bummed about your futures. What did you mean by that?"

"Come on, Rachel, you know I'm not getting out of Lima."

"Yes you are. Even if I have to check you as baggage when I fly to New York..."

And then something snapped inside Finn. "Don't you see, Rachel? I don't want to be your baggage. You're not the only one who's important! I'm not your accessory! I'm real! I'm a real person!"

Rachel blinked, in shock. A shadow of anger came over her face. "I'm sick of this, Finn. For the past two years all I've done is try to change, and it's never good enough."

Finn shook his head, trying to collect himself. "It just hurts. You act as if I'm just this thing that'll hold you back."

"That's not how I want you to feel, Finn." He couldn't respond. He had nothing to say. She finally gave up on waiting for a reply and reached for his hand. "I don't want to break up, you know. I want us to be able to work through this kind of thing like adults."

"So, you're not mad about Brittany?"

"No, I'm furious," She gave his hand a painful squeeze. "But you were honest with me. You know, when Brittany texted me a little while ago…"

Finn interrupted. "She texted you…?"

"Yeah, about a half-hour ago… She felt even worse than you did."

Finn was suddenly livid. He couldn't believe Brittany would sell him out like that. "Oh…"

"I thought for sure that you would keep it a secret. I thought 'this is it. It's over'…I knew I could never do it, though. I could never be the one to break up with you. I love you too much. We both have a lot of work to do, but I love you. A stupid kiss isn't going to change that."

Finn nodded.

"I have to go to bed now, though…" She told him, scooting to the door. "Kurt and I are going to Columbus for an auditioning seminar tomorrow, and we have to leave early."

Finn just nodded as she got out of the car. She didn't kiss him, or even say goodbye. But the fact that she was still his girlfriend was enough so that he could sleep easy that night.

At least, it should've been.

* * *

><p>Finn's phone started ringing around midnight. He was laying in the dark, in his clothes, on top of his covers. He hadn't been able to muster up the energy to do anything other then fall down on the bed. He knew that putting pajamas on wouldn't actually help him sleep.<p>

He sleepily reached for his phone, and answered it without checking the caller ID. "Hello…?"

"Hey Finn…"

It was Brittany. Finn sat up quickly. "Hi…"

"Look, Finn. I'm really sorry. I talked to Rachel."

"I know she told me. Why would you do that?"

"I try to be honest, Finn," She told him simply. "After what happened with Artie and Santana last year, I realized that it's never a good idea to assume it's okay to keep something a secret."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…" Finn mumbled.

"Look, are you and Rachel going to be okay? You guys are like, Bradgelina, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I came between you."

"No, we're fine."

"Good. That's great," Brittany sounded genuinely excited, which unsettled Finn for some inexplicable reason. "And you and me: are we still allowed to be friends? I had a lot of fun tonight."

Finn hesitated. Rachel hadn't said anything to the contrary. "Yeah, Britt, we're still friends."

"Great. Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" She asked cheerfully.

And Finn couldn't turn her down. He just couldn't. Not when she sounded so…optimistic. "Yeah, for sure…!"

"Great. Text me when you wake up."

As Finn set his phone down, he felt oddly satisfied. He realized that it was because for the first time, something was turning out all right.


	3. Chapter 3

Finn lay on his back, staring at Brittany's ceiling, one of her My Little Ponies balanced on his chest.

"I still have some of my old horses too," He told her. "I loved cowboys when I was little."

"Like Woody from Toy Story…" Brittany smiled. She was standing at the mirror, combing her hair. Finn was making an effort not to watch, because he knew he wouldn't be able to handle how perfect she looked with her hair down. "I love that movie."

"Me too," He exclaimed, sitting up and letting the horse fall into his lap. "The third one made me cry. Rachel said she had trouble being emotionally invested in animated characters."

"No way," Brittany set her hairbrush down and walked over to the bed, where she hopped on and sat cross legged next to Finn. "Animation is totally better. It's magical."

"Yeah totally," Finn said. "You know, sometimes I miss just being a kid. You know, I can remember putting on my Pajamas after a bath and picking out a VHS…"

"So, you can still put on pajamas. You don't have to sleep naked _every_ night. I only do it, like, once or twice a week…"

Finn's face turned hot. "…What…?"

"Yeah, it is nice to feel the sheets against my skin sometimes…"

"Oh…that's cool." Finn smiled nervously. He stared at a spot on her carpet, forcing himself to think about the mail man he'd hit with his mom's car, instead of picturing Brittany naked.

"And as for watching movies on VHS, I totally kept all of mine, so we should watch them."

Finn's face lit up. "Right now…?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome!"

Brittany hopped off her bed and grabbed his hand, pulling him up. "Come on! Let's go!"

Finn smiled the whole way downstairs. By the time they entered the Pierce's living room, his cheeks hurt. Brittany let go of his hand and threw herself down in front of a cabinet in the front of the room. She threw it open and started pulling out stacks of tapes. She had everything: _The Lion King, the Brave Little Toaster, the Rugrats Movie…_

"No way, I fucking loved the Rugrats!" Finn said stepping over to her and grabbing the tape from the floor.

"Oh my god…!" Brittany's face lit up, and she stood up quickly. "Wait right here…"

She suddenly ran from the room.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked, laughing slightly.

"Yeah…!" She called. He heard her rustling around in the kitchen. She frolicked back into the room waving a blue box in the air. It took Finn a minute to realize what it was.

"Is that Rugrats Mac and cheese?" Finn asked, his brow furrowing in disbelief.

"Uh huh…" Brittany grinned.

"I didn't even know they made that anymore!"

"This box is really old. I've been saving it for a special occasion." She looked at the box. "It says it expired in 2005. But Mac and Cheese never goes bad, right?"

"Some food just stays good!" Finn nodded. "I heard Twinkies have a shelf life of, like two-thousand years. And one time, I ate a grilled cheese sandwich that I'd been carrying in my back-pack for a week-and-a-half."

"Let's make it!" Brittany jumped up and down with excitement. "And then we can watch the movie!"

Finn couldn't even contain his excitement. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

They scrambled around the kitchen. Finn turned on the stove and grabbed a wooden spoon from the counter as Brittany grabbed a pot from over the sink and filled it with water. As she opened the box and dumped the pasta in, Finn couldn't stop giggling.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked, starting to giggle herself.

"I'm sorry," Finn said, running a hand over his mouth trying to straighten out his smile. "I haven't felt like this in a while…"

"Like what?" Brittany asked.

Finn shrugged. "I always feel like I act like an adult…"

"You do," Brittany nodded. "You remind me of my grandpa sometimes."

Finn chuckled. "I always thought that being, like, mature and stuff was really important. You make me feel like I can just…act stupid."

Brittany shook her head. "This isn't stupid."

"You know what I mean…" Finn said softly.

Brittany nodded. "You know, in fifth grade, Santana threw all her Barbies away…well, her mom did after she drew a penis on Ken and cut Barbie's head off with her dad's hatchet…" Finn wasn't shocked. That sounded like Santana. "Anyway, she told me that I should throw my dolls away too. She said we were too old for them, and do you know what I said?"

"What…?" Finn stepped closer to her, looking over her shoulder as she delicately stirred the noodles.

"I told her that I wasn't going to do that. I told her she was Sid and I was Andy. Even if I wanted to get rid of my toys, they'd come back to me because we just had that kind of relationship…"

"Oh…" Finn blinked. He couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like the things I like and I'm not going to apologize for it. And_ really_, I don't think you're ever too old for Rugrats Mac and Cheese."

"Well," Finn grinned, looking into the pot. "Let's just hope the Rugrats Mac and Cheese isn't too old for us…"

"Of course their not, Finn, they're just babies…"

"Right…"

"Don't feel stupid," She patted him on the shoulder. "The talking makes them seem older."

* * *

><p>Finn had planned to stay at Brittany's house for only a few hours. He was supposed to go over to Rachel's at seven. But by the time he and Brittany had finished <em>Aladdin<em>, the fourth movie in their 90s marathon, it was already 6:45. Finn had planned on going home and showering, but he realized that even if he went to Rachel's straight from Brittany's, he'd still be late.

"You could've told me if you wanted to leave, Finn," Brittany said kindly, walking him to the door. "That's the great part about tapes. You take them out and they stay on the same part until you put them back in again. We could've finished Aladdin the next time we hung out."

Finn's heart skipped a beat at the thought of hanging out with her again, which was totally normal, now that they were becoming such good friends and all.

"I'll see you, Brittany. Thanks for everything."

Twenty minutes later, Finn was standing at Rachel's doorstep in his gym shorts and Cedar Point T-shirt, the same clothes he'd slept in the night before, then worn to Brittany's because what was the point of getting dressed if he was already wearing clothes? Rachel looked a little thrown off as she opened the door, wearing a paisley sundress.

"You look…like you've been working out," Rachel told him, a strange, forced smile on her face.

"Oh, thanks…" Finn smiled, examining his arms. He had been working pretty hard at practice.

"I'm talking about your outfit…"

Finn had really convinced himself on the way over that she wouldn't care. "You said we were just hanging out."

"I thought maybe you'd want to look nice for me…" She spun around and started leading him into the house. Finn closed the door behind him and kicked off his sneakers.

"Why does it matter how I dress? Do you have a problem with the way I look?"

"Of course not…! You're always adorable, that's not what I'm saying…"

"That's not what it sounds like!" Finn was getting angry. He really didn't appreciate getting attacked first thing when he'd gone ten over the speed limit that whole way there just to avoid her asking questions about what'd kept him.

"And I thought maybe you'd want to shower-up and get here early because you couldn't wait to see me! But, no, you couldn't do that. You waited until the very last minute!"

"Well sorry I wasn't in a big hurry! We see each other every day."

"Well I wanted tonight to be special!" She cried. "I made dinner and everything!"

"Well, then why didn't you tell me that you wanted me here early?"

"That's not even the point, Finn!"

"Rachel, this is stupid. Why are you mad at me?"

"First you kiss another girl, and then you act like our plans aren't even important! This year was supposed to be perfect Finn. Why are you so determined to screw it up?"

Finn was fuming. He couldn't believe her. Of course this was about the kiss. He wished that Rachel knew how hard it was not to kiss Brittany today. He had refrained, _for her. _Whether she believed it or not, he was committed to her. She was the one who didn't appreciate him; who couldn't just accept him.

"I'm sick of this Rachel," He snapped. "I thought we were serious enough that I didn't have to try to impress you anymore!"

"I spent all afternoon in the kitchen!" Rachel yelled. "_I _wanted to do something nice for you because I love you that much."

Finn took a deep breath. "I know…" He told her, realizing that he didn't want to spoil what could be the only night he shared with her all week. "I love you too."

They took a moment of silence to collect themselves, and then he wrapped her in a hug.

Even with the apology, the meal was still tense. Neither of them had much to say to each other, they ate in silence. Finn realized that her garlic pesto tasted suspiciously like Kurt's. After dessert, Rachel cleared the table, and returned to the dining room.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" She asked gently. "I just got _High Society _from Netflix."

Finn wasn't really interested in watching another old musical. And he knew that if Rachel was suggesting one of her movies, she was less likely to want to make out during it.

"I'm actually pretty tired," He stood up and pecked her on the lips. "I'm going to go home and chill."

Rachel nodded, clearly upset, but clearly not wanting to fight anymore. "Yeah…okay…"

Finn showed himself to the door.

* * *

><p>He walked into his dark house, turning on lights as he went. When flicked the switch in the living room, he yelped in surprise and turned the lights back off, retreating back down the hallway.<p>

"Jesus Christ…" He heard Blaine mumbling.

Finn was glad that he hadn't caught the exact details of what the couple was doing. All he saw was skin…

"Finn…!" Kurt yelled. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you'd be home so early!"

"No! It's fine!" Finn cried his voice cracking. "…Continue…I'll go to my room."

He heard a zipper going as Kurt followed him into the hall. "Hey…Finn…wait? What happened? Why _are _you home so early?"

Finn turned and looked at Kurt. He was suddenly distracted. "Dude, your shirt's on inside-out. Look, I can't talk to you…not with what you were just…um…doing. It's too weird. Give me a few minutes to...regroup."

"Just tell me! Did you like the butternut squash? Was the additional nutmeg a bad idea?"

"Damn it! I knew she didn't cook!" Finn cried.

Blaine suddenly appeared behind Kurt. His hair was a mess and he was grinning like a child. "What did you think of the Mousse Cake? I got the recipe from Ina's new cook book!"

"Is that really what you wore?" Kurt scolded. "No wonder you didn't get any."

"You should wear more cardigans," Blaine nodded. "Not too dressy, not too grungy…"

"Wait, did you go over there directly from Brittany's?"

"Stop!" Finn shouted suddenly. "Both of you…! I said I didn't want to talk about it!" Finn spun around and started toward the staircase.

"They had a fight," Kurt whispered knowingly to Blaine. "He only acts like this when someone's mad at him."

Finn tried so stomp louder up the stairs so to drown them out.

"Really…" He still heard Blaine say. "I think he's just upset that he had to see us…"

Finn threw his hands over his ears. He really didn't want to know what came at the end of that sentence.


	4. Chapter 4

Although Rachel sat next to Finn at Glee that Monday, he could tell that something was still off between them. They'd had fights in the past where they were able to move on within a matter of hours, but this time it was different. Finn knew that it would be difficult to recover from the weekend they'd just experienced.

And then, the hole was dug deeper when Brittany entered the choir room, Finn's stripped sweatshirt hanging over her arm.

"Hey Finn, you left this at my house on Saturday,"

_Play it cool,_ he thought, _this isn't a big deal. _He reached out and took it, smiling gratefully. "Thanks Britt."

But Rachel was just too observant. "Wait…Brittany what did you say?"

"He left this at my house on Saturday…?" Brittany shrugged innocently.

"…Saturday…?" Rachel repeated. Her voice was elevating.

"Yeah," Brittany shrugged. "It comes after Friday and Sunday come afterwards. I learned that at prom, didn't you?"

Mike and Tina, who were sitting behind Rachel stifled laughs.

Finn felt detached, like he couldn't reach. Rachel turned to him. "Finn, tell me she's getting the days of the week wrong. Tell me you didn't kiss her on Friday and go back over there when you _told _me it was a one time thing."

"It was a one time thing," Brittany said innocently. "I wouldn't lie to you either."

Puck walked into the choir room, Quinn and Artie trailing behind. "What was a one time thing? Wait, Hudson, you finally made out with Brittany! Congratulations. You're no longer the lone wolf!"

Quinn hit Puck in the shoulder, and he just laughed as the group took their seats.

"I don't believe this," Rachel said softly, her voice shaking. "I don't believe this! How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't do anything."

"You told me you were just going to go home and go to sleep! I cooked dinner for you, and you went and you slept with her!"

"Whoa!" Finn looked over to the doorway. Kurt had started to lead Blaine into the room, but had grabbed his boyfriend's arm and stopped in the doorway to observe.

"Rachel, we didn't do anything!"

"It wasn't after our date! I really did go home! But you were hanging out with Kurt during the day, who by the way, made the whole dinner, Rachel, so stop throwing that in my face…"

"I helped," Blaine mumbled dejectedly. Kurt comfortingly patted him on the shoulder.

"You went over _before_ our date?" Rachel stood up, shouting and pointing at him. Never in his life had he found an index finger so intimidating. "That's why you were late! And there I was feeling bad for yelling at you when you deserved every word of it."

"We didn't hook up!"

"Well maybe you should've, since clearly you weren't going to get any from me, Mr. 'she won't put out so I might as well turn in early'."

"Rachel, come on! It wasn't like that! I just didn't want to fight anymore."

"You know what, Finn. I've always thought highly of you, but it's becoming clear to me now that you're _just_ as stupid as she is!"

And with that, Rachel stormed out of the choir room, pushing past Mr. Shue on her way.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" The teacher asked loudly. Rachel just kept running, and didn't answer. Mr. Shue glared at the rest of the group. He looked over to Kurt and Blaine, who were still parked in the other doorway. "Sit down, boys!" He snapped. They quickly followed his orders.

"I should go talk to her," Finn offered.

"No!" Mr. Shuester shouted. "Stay here. I am sick of this pointless drama. From now on, nobody leaves this room unless I say it's okay. You don't win nationals by coming and going as you please…"

Everyone was silent, discomforted by Mr. Shuester's outburst. Finn glanced at the doorway, hoping Rachel would come back, having collected herself. But she didn't. It looked like she was gone for real.

* * *

><p>Kurt sat behind the steering wheel, holding it tightly as he sat with his brother in the parking lot after rehearsal. "Do you want me to take you to her?" He asked gently.<p>

Finn shook his head. "I don't know what else to say." He admitted. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know…" He started. "Finn…you kissed another girl. Things are just going to be bad for a while. But if you really love Rachel as much as you say you do, you'll work through it."

Finn nodded, thinking really hard about it. Then, he had a realization. "I don't think we're happy," He said slowly. "I mean, ever since she started talking about this school in New York…I mean…even before that, you know? …I've just had this feeling that the way we see things is, like, completely different. And then Brittany…she just, understands me, you know?"

"That kiss wasn't an accident, Finn…" Kurt told him. Although, he already knew; it was just easier to have a defense. "…you wanted to do it because you were curious about how it might be different."

Finn couldn't have said it better himself. "Yeah," He nodded guiltily. "Does that make sense?"

Kurt sighed. "Too much sense," He kind of chuckled, and suddenly Finn understood that he was speaking from experience.

"Whoa…you didn't…"

Kurt then put on an innocent face. "…didn't what…?"

Finn lowered his voice, even though no one was in the car with them. "Dude, you cheated on Blaine…?"

Kurt tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "You can't tell anyone. It was a long time ago. Things are good now…I came clean, and he forgave me."

"Dude, you're kidding me! Who do you even have to cheat with? Was it someone else from Dalton?"

"Of course not…!" Kurt snapped. "I wouldn't cheat with one of his friends! That would be cruel."

And suddenly, Finn's thoughts suddenly leapt back to the summer, when Kurt was spending a lot of time at the YMCA, where a certain blond with big lips was the lifeguard. He remembered Kurt's mysterious disappearance one weekend. Where he didn't make curfew and told his parents he was staying at Rachel's. Even though Finn knew that Rachel had gone to Indianapolis for the night to visit her grandparents.

"Oh my god!" His face contorted. "Dude! Did you sleep with Sam!"

"No! We just kissed…" Kurt admitted, his voice shaking. "It was after he found out he was moving, and after he and Mercedes broke up. We really were just going to hang out, but, you see…things happened. It took me forever to earn back his trust. And…I realized that knowing I'd cheat on him so easily made me all the more convinced that he'd be willing to cheat on me."

"And you had the nerve to lecture me about Britt!" Finn cried. "I can't believe you, man…"

"Finn…I could've destroyed my relationship with a boy that I have loved since the moment I saw him." Kurt said urgently. "I wasn't going to let you get to that point with Brittany. Finn, if you slept with her…it wasn't like she was moving away, and she and Rachel never talked…They're in glee club together. Things would've gotten bad."

"So you're saying what you did was okay because Sam and Blaine don't know each other!" Finn asked peevishly. "Dude, that's ridiculous."

"I'm saying I was lucky!" Kurt said. "I realized how important Blaine is to me. It wasn't that I wasn't happy with him. Sam was just…persuasive. I got curious."

"You guys seem pretty happy now," Finn said. "I mean. You can barely keep your hands off each other."

"Blaine and I work because we understand each other," Kurt told Finn. "That's what it really comes down to. That's why I was able to move past my confusion with Sam. I think that's really where our situations differ. I wanted to make things right so badly. Finn, look at me," Finn looked up and met Kurt's gaze. "Who do you want to be with?"

Finn couldn't answer. He had a lump in his throat that he just couldn't swallow. "Do you think Rachel and I are bad together?"

Kurt was quiet for a moment. "I think you've already answered that question." He said softly. "If you want to make things right with Rachel, do it…" He continued. "But if you're only with her because you've been off and on for so long, and that's just what you're in the habit of doing, then you really need to think about things."

Finn nodded. "Thanks Kurt," He said. "Can you take me over there?"

* * *

><p>The two minutes Finn spent waiting on Rachel's doorstep were the longest two minutes of his life. When she opened the door her face was tear-streaked, but she threw her arms around him.<p>

"If you tell me nothing else happened, I believe you," She sniffed. "I hate that you lied to me, but maybe it's my fault. I've been neglecting you lately, and the only person to blame for any of this is myself…" She pulled away from him and looked up at him, her eyes glistening. "Finn, what's the matter with us?"

It hurt him, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. He had to rip the band aid off. "We're bad together, Rachel." He said simply. "I don't think this relationship is going to work out."

She gasped, and stepped away from him. "I don't understand…" She whimpered.

"I have to go," he said guiltily. Kurt had told him to call him when he need a ride home, so he started toward the street corner, planning on calling his brother from next to the stop sign and begging him to turn around.

Rachel started chasing him down the front walk, however.

"No!" She screamed. She was hysterical. "You're not going to dump me for that stupid whore! She's not even that pretty! What do you see in her?"

And suddenly, Finn didn't feel that bad anymore. "How could you say that? Brittany's your friend!"

"A real friend wouldn't steal my boyfriend."

"She didn't steal anything," Finn snapped. "I don't want to be with you anymore. Not like this….and that's my own choice, and I never said that I was going to date her instead. So you need to get over yourself, Rachel."

"A week…" She sniffed. "Four days ago, even, we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. How does that get destroyed so quickly?"

Finn had nothing left to say. "Goodbye, Rachel. I'll see you at school."

And then he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

"Seriously…! Why didn't you tell me? I thought you were going to make things right!" Kurt was snapping as they pulled into the driveway. "At the very least, you could've just _told_ me you were going to it so I would've had time to prepare my motivational speech." They entered the house and Finn kicked off his shoes and dropped his backpack on the floor.

"Mom!" Finn called out, his voice was strained. "Kurt's bothering me!"

He started towards the stairs, but Kurt didn't let up. Carole appeared in the hallway, grinning. "Finn, I had to listen to him lecture me on the dangers of corn syrup all night yesterday, it's probably your turn."

"It's the silent killer," Kurt mumbled seriously.

Finn moaned and started moving faster, going up to his room. As he was growing accustomed to doing, he fell down face-first on the bed. Kurt hovered over him, pulling his cell out of his pocket.

"She's calling me."

"Then answer it," Finn's voice, muffled by his smelly comforter, rang out. "I don't care what you do."

"We're not done talking about this!" Kurt stomped out, lowering his voice in an attempt to sooth his best friend. "Honey, I'm so sorry…"

Finn leapt up and went to slam the door. He locked it just in case Kurt came back. He didn't understand why Kurt was still giving him a hard time. _He _was the one who had told him to choose what he wanted to do. And why did it even matter that Finn hadn't told him anything? It had nothing to do with him!

Finn decided that he had to change his relationship status on Facebook immediately. He grabbed his laptop and logged on, only to see that Rachel had already cancelled the relationship, as well as changing her profile from one of her and him, to one of her and Kurt. …Of course…

Suddenly, Finn's own phone started ringing. He looked at it and saw that it was Santana. He knew that anything she had to say to him would only make things worse. She'd probably seen the news already. Finn's stomach tensed up again. It had been having spasms ever since he'd left the Berrys' house. He wanted to be single, didn't he? He wanted space to figure stuff out, right? So then why did he feel so uneasy? Why was the guilt, and the small possibility that he'd make a mistake, clawing at him so bad now? Why was he fighting the urge to turn around and go right back to Rachel's? Why did he want to apologize when twenty minutes ago, he was so sure about ending it?

That was the problem. He always had to go back. He was in the habit of it. He knew he had to be strong.

His phone started ringing again. This time it was Brittany. He answered it immediately without thinking about it, and suddenly he knew for sure he'd done the right thing. He could resume his friendship with Britt without consequences. Friendship…that was all he was looking for right now. He wouldn't want to rebound or anything.

"Hey…" He said slowly.

"Finn, I am so sorry." She said quickly. "Really, this is my fault. Look, I'll do whatever it takes to help you win her back. I'll help you with an apology song for glee club; I'll…"

Finn interrupted her. "Whoa, Brittany, it's fine. I broke up with her."

There was a long silence, and Finn's heart started racing. Finally, Brittany replied, "Why?"

"I realized it just didn't feel right anymore," He told her. He wanted to tell her that she was right, that it was entirely her fault, but in the best way possible.

"You guys were so happy, Finn," Brittany continued. "Everything just exploded last week…like when I tried to make my easy bake oven cakes in the microwave. If I hadn't kissed you…"

"No, Brittany, _I_ kissed _you_. You made the decision not to take things farther."

Another pause followed. "…You wanted to do more than kiss me…?"

Finn then took his own pause. He thought back to that moment. He couldn't remember what he'd wanted. It really just kind of happened. But if she had kept kissing him, he knew he wouldn't have stopped her. "I don't know what I wanted, Britt…"

"Santana thinks you made sweet, sweet love to me…"

Finn hesitated. "I'm really sorry people think that, Brittany."

"It's okay," She said. "People already think I'm a slut."

"It's not okay…" Finn said. "I don't want people to think that about you. You're better than that, Britt."

He could almost hear her smile. He liked making her smile. "Thanks Finn. I feel better knowing no one's mad at me. And if you're happy single, then I'm glad you're single."

"I am…" He said softly.

"Good…"

"Good…"

After that, the conversation ended. Finn lowered his phone. He realized that him talking to Brittany didn't just make her feel better, it made him feel better too. He couldn't quite explain why.

* * *

><p>"So, I guess Rachel's not just paranoid…" Artie said, wheeling up to Finn in the cafeteria the next day. "I saw the changes to your Facebook profile…"<p>

Finn set the sandwich he was eating down in front of him, and starting speaking, just as he'd rehearsed. "The break up had nothing to do with Brittany. It was just time."

"That's low, Finn," Artie continued. "You know, it's obnoxious that I'm the only one who manages to avoid adultery."

Finn just picked up his sandwich and shoved a bite in his mouth. He'd been sitting around because his so-called friends would rather be off gossiping about him than seeing how he was handling the break up. The thing he hated about everyone in glee club was that they all tried to make other people's problems their own. First Kurt was on his case, now Artie.

"This season's going to be tough if it becomes the 'will they, won't they' show again…It's only a matter of time before you two negate all previous events and bottle up your true resentment towards each other."

Finn snapped "Would you just shut up..! I didn't sleep with Brittany. And Rachel and I are over for good this time…"

"Until you get back together…" Artie smiled. Finn wanted to punch him, but…he was in a wheel chair. "…and then someone cheats again." Finn continued to glare. "You know, it was only a matter of time. Brittany doesn't value relationships: not her own, and not other peoples'..."

Finn gave him another programmed response. "It wasn't like that. Brittany isn't like that. I'm not like that. We're just friends. Things got out of hand."

"She's great in bed, isn't she? I'm sure it was worth it, Hudson…"

Finn ground his teeth as Artie pat him on the back and wheeled off.

Finn's phone started buzzing in his pocket. It was a text from Kurt.

_Rachel hasn't stopped crying all day. She's avoiding you like the plague. Glee club's going to be fun._

Finn rolled his eyes and set the phone down, but it was only a matter of seconds before it started going off again. This time it was from an unknown number.

_Can we please arrange an interview? People need your side of the story._

He cringed, and typed back _Who is this?_ Even though he had an unsettling notion.

_Jacob Ben Isreal. I thought you would have my number on speed dial by now._

Finn awkwardly shoved his phone back into his pocket and went to leave the cafeteria.

Santana was waiting at Finn's locker. She stepped out of the way so he could get to it, but kept grinning wickedly at him. He thought maybe if he ignored her she'd just walk away.

"I know there's something going on with you and Britt," She said quietly. "You both keep saying nothing's going on, but you should know by now that I'm far more perceptive than that."

"You're making things up in your head, Santana," He snapped, annoyed, as he pulled his chemistry Book from his locker. "Brittany and I are friends now. You don't have to make that into something that it's not."

"You and Berry wouldn't have split if nothing was going on…" Santana laughed. "Unless she made out with Puckerman again…! That was priceless."

"Shut up, Santana!" Finn slammed his locker, but she didn't flinch. "Why do you always have to make people feel bad!"

"I just want to make sure that you're not moving in on my girl!"

"Since when is Brittany you're girl! Yeah, I know you guys have some sort of secret…arrangement, but sex doesn't make someone your property! To you, it doesn't even mean anything."

"Still thinking about our adventure at the Motel 6…I really know how to stay in a guy's memory…" She smirked. "Look. You make love like Lurch the butler. But Brittany doesn't have standards, and when there's someone she hasn't gotten around to screwing yet, she just goes for it. She doesn't care about you any more than I did. I'm looking out for you,"

Finn rolled his eyes. "You know, you say you're her best friend, but you're just as bad as everyone else! She's not just some dumb tramp, Santana…people need to start realizing that!"

"I _do _realize that!" Santana cried.

Finn realized that he was about to snap for real. He turned around and stormed off before he could.

He went out to the parking lot. He wasn't sure why; his feet just sort of carried him there. He wasn't thinking about how he had three more classes left or glee club. He just needed to get out.

"What are you doing?"

Finn spun around to see Brittany following him out of the school.

"What are _you_ doing?" He repeated breathlessly.

"It's not like I was going to class in the first place," She shrugged. "I saw you leave. You look upset. Do you need to talk about it?"

Finn shook his head, but spoke anyway. "I thought it would be okay, you know? I thought that as long as you and I knew we didn't do anything wrong than their judgments wouldn't exist…I just…I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to feel relieved. And I don't."

"It does kind of suck…" Brittany nodded. She began walking toward him. "We tried so hard not to do anything wrong…"

"Yeah…" Once again, she understood exactly how he was feeling. "…And it's like, we should be rewarded for our good behavior…"

"But instead, it's like we didn't work at all…" She was standing really close to him now…they were in the middle of the drop off lane. Kids coming back from their off-campus lunches walked past them and shot them suspicious looks.

"So, you're saying that it was hard work…not to kiss me again…?" The gears in Finn's mind were shifting, and suddenly, all he could think about was Brittany wanting to jump his bones. No. He snapped out of it. Forgetting his conscious was what got him into this mess in the first place. "I mean…I'm sorry…"

"I just wanted to be your friend Finn. I knew you had Rachel and I wanted you to be happy…I'm saying it seemed like…you were working hard."

Why was she so honest? "You noticed…?" He asked uncomfortably. She just shrugged, smiling slightly. Finn sighed, still frustrated. "You know, I wish I could be like you! I think I care what people think about you more than you do…"

Brittany chuckled. "That's why you're the one getting crap and not me…you just have to make them think that they can't get to you, even if they can. After we talked on the phone last night I realized that you can't make everyone happy."

Finn had to take a moment to process that. He was amazed by how every once in a blue moon; Brittany S. Pierce became the wisest person in the world. "How exactly do you think I could to that?"

"I think…we should go about this how we go about everything…" She grinned. "We have three hours until rehearsal. That's enough time to put something together."

Finn sat on Brittany's bed as the Karaoke track started up. She stood in front of her mirror, fixing her make up. They were singing an old song by a lady named Bonnie Rait, who Finn had never heard of before. The song, Brittany said, was perfect. He watched her in the mirror as he started to sing.

_People are talkin, talking 'bout people__  
><em>_I hear them whisper, you won't believe it__  
><em>_They think we're lovers kept under covers__  
><em>_I just ignore it, but they keep saying_

Brittany turned around quickly and started harmonizing for the second stanza, a crazed look in her eye.

_We laugh just a little too loud__  
><em>_We stand just a little too close_

Finn stood up and started to playfully follow her around the room

_We stare just a little too long__  
><em>_Maybe they're seeing, something we don't, Darlin'_

When they sang it in the choir room, later, Finn improvised on the drums as Brittany step-touched to the beat with amazing intensity. They went all out for the chorus.

_Let's give them something to talk about__  
><em>_Let's give them something to talk about__  
><em>_Let's give them something to talk about__  
><em>_How about love?_

For the second verse, Finn dropped his drumsticks and got up. They started following each other around the choir room just like they had while rehearsing at Brittany's house. They finished out the song with their arms around each other, starring suggestively into each other's eyes. When the music stopped they lingered for a moment before pulling apart and taking a bow. Blaine was the only one who clapped. A wide-eyed Kurt reached over and shoved Blaine's hands back into his lap. Rachel looked on the verge of tears, and Finn instantly knew he should've been more sensitive. But then, he looked at the shocked, speechless faces of the rest of his teammates and knew that what he'd just done had been necessary.

Then, Brittany spoke. "So…I didn't have sex with Finn."

Mr. Shue cleared his throat, trying to let her know that she had crossed a line of appropriateness.

Finn jumped in after her. She made him braver. "We just wanted you all to know that we're not afraid of what you guys are saying about us."

Rachel's voice was the one to break the brief silence that followed. "Well, Finn. I'm glad that you're able to be a bigger person than the rest of us."

Finn knew she was being insincere, but he'd take that over having to watch her cry again. He just smiled uncomfortably as he took his seat again. Brittany lowered herself into the chair next to his.

He suddenly wondered if anyone else had really listened to the lyrics. They weren't _really_ about just disregarding what people were saying…He glanced over at Brittany, who was beaming, still clearly on a performance high. He wondered if she understood what she was saying by picking that particular song to sing with him.

After rehearsal, Finn said goodbye to Kurt again, and ran to catch up with Brittany as she walked to her car. He hoped that Rachel didn't see him following her, because despite everything he still cared about her feelings, even though it might've not seemed like it with what he was about to do.

"You want to give them something to talk about!" He called to Brittany playfully.

She turned around just as she was about to get into her car, smiling wickedly. "I don't know…"

Finn marched up to her. "Maybe I shouldn't try to resist it anymore. Like you said, it's done no good for me."

Brittany suddenly reached up and grabbed his head with both hands, she pulled him into a hard kiss. He fought back immediately, running his hands slowly down the back of her cheerios jacket. She jumped up and wrapped her long legs around his torso. Finn grabbed her thighs and pushed her against her car. They almost lost their balance and then she put her legs down and grabbed the car to steady herself.

"Maybe we should get in the car…" Finn suggested quickly. She nodded, and that's exactly what they did.


End file.
